Swaminomics: How the reforms changed Bollywood

Few people think of the revolution in the film industry as a success of economic liberalisation. Yet, it was made possible only by the deregulation of a great many sectors - filmmaking, banking, capital markets, TV, theatre-building - plus the lifting of price control on tickets.

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Quote-Unquote

Q: If you were still with Morgan Stanley and I sent you a fresh MBA recruit, what will be your advice to him?

A: There are hundreds of smart people who come to my office. What I see is in short supply today is courage, risk-taking, leadership, integrity, patience, faith. I think those are the qualities I would encourage an MBA to develop and discourage this false prop that I'm an MBA and so I have arrived. I can see why Bill Gates or Dhirubhai Ambani did well. These sort of soft, touchy-feely qualities are the ones which are really in short supply today. I don't think education can get you there. I think life can get you there. Yes education is very important but I don't think your life begins once your education ends. I think your real education begins when life starts. So what you do post-education, in your 20s and 30s is very vital.

- Vinod Sethi, one of India's most respected investors.

Munnar

Munnar, a hill station in Kerala...

you must brutally and unflinchingly question

While this may seem the simplest enough line of questioning to follow, it is in fact the most difficult to live. For to be honest to it, you must brutally and unflinchingly question. It is not widely popular, because it is time consuming. You will not arrive at your answers today, or tomorrow, or probably even in this lifetime. It will not seem like focus to many, but it is far more satisfying than focus, for like the tea-taster, you will have tasted 10,000 cups of tea, and spat them out, before you will have found that one perfect and most beautiful brew. You will have sharpened and honed your standards of perfection, of purity, and with each step up the short list, you will have the confidence that comes from edging towards absolute- and not half- Truth.

Why would you want to do it?

Probably because that emptiness you feel from time to time, in the living and the loving of everyday life, is that nagging sense, that this, whatever this is at this point of time for any of you who have felt it, is just not it.

- Taken from an online blog article "The Neti Principle"

Creativity

"How much are you paid?"

"I have read it written that I'm getting Rs 25 lakhs for a movie. It's under 10, actually. For Roja. I was paid Rs 25,000. I don't like to demand high amounts because I think that will rob me of my creativity. "

-A.R. Rehman, answering to a question about the money he charged. Quoted from an interview that was taken soon after he entered the industry.

Allah

"Hamesha mandir-o-masjid mein woh nahi rahta

Suna hai bachchon mein chhup ke woh khelta bhi hai..."

-Nida Fazli ka yeh sher mujhe bahut achchha laga tha...